Investing In Our Future

Dear Grace, 

Attending to the spiritual care of our teenagers has always been a priority for our church.  It's an important part of our vitality as a community.  Since our last Youth Minister resigned, we've had a gap in our staffing.  Volunteers have stepped in to help with youth events, and Kim Cockcroft has done what she can.   But we need a staff person who can give this focus and sustained attention. The leadership at Grace recognizes the need, sees it as an investment in our future, and has decided that now is an opportune time.  

I am pleased to announce that Grace will be hiring Melissa Meyers as our new Coordinator for Youth Ministries.  This is a part-time, 20 hours a week position, that will begin April 15.  Melissa will collaborate closely with Kim Cockroft and will be responsible for fostering relationships with adolescents and their families, cultivating a volunteer base of collaborators, and creating gatherings that will help meet the social and spiritual needs of our youth.  Melissa has been a faithful volunteer in supporting our ministries to youth and families.  She knows our culture well and brings excellent organizing and communication skills.  Finding a good youth worker is not easy; it requires someone who can relate well with teenagers and their parents, understand and fit in with our culture as a church, and who has good chemistry with our staff. In Melissa, I believe we have such an individual.  

You may have observed that Melissa's title will be Coordinator of Youth Ministries and not Youth Minister.  The shift in focus is intentional.  At Grace, we have held that all of us our ministers.  We are called to care for one another, and there is a particular blessing when that care happens intergenerationally.  Thus, we are not hiring Melissa to be the one to do the ministry.  We are hiring her to help wrangle and coordinate us all in caring well for the young people in our midst.  

Please join me in being such a minister.  Welcome Melissa!

Peace, 

Rev. Eric